How to use the Present Tense in Spanish in past and future contexts.
Normally, we use the Present Tense to express ourselves in the present time, and to talk about things that usually happens in our present lives…
For example:
- Me gusta comer sano
- I like to eat healthy
—
- Cada mañana, me despierto a las 7:00, voy al gimnasio por 1 hora…
- Every morning, I wake up at 7:00, go to the gym for 1 hour…
But…, the Present Tense in Spanish can be also used in both PAST and FUTURE contexts…, and this is 100% grammatically correct. Yes! It’s true…, we have specific tenses for that to, but using the Present in these contexts makes each phrase sound more “alive” and “real” respectively 🙂
Let’s see how it works!
1. HISTORIC PRESENT
It’s mostly used to describe past events with the intention of make them sound more “alive”:
Hace mucho tiempo, en una antigua ciudad del viejo Egipto, un Faraón SE ENCUENTRA cara a cara con un escriba y LE DICE…, blablabla…
Once upon a time, in an ancient city of old Egypt, a Pharaoh MEETS face to face with a scribe and SAYS..., blablabla...
2. FUTURE PRESENT
It’s mostly used to describe future plans with the intention of make them sound more “real”. it’s like making that “not-completely-real future thing” a reality, because already in the present…, at least in our mind:
En los próximos 12 meses, yo TERMINO este proyecto, estoy muy seguro de esto.
In the next 12 months, I FINISH this project, I am pretty sure of this.
I hope this explanation will be useful for you, as well as for other people reading this blog post 🙂
That being said, in case you want to push yourself beyond all correct uses of the Present Tense in Spanish, maybe finding new and powerful resources, plus the opportunity to practice your Spanish by talking in a professionally managed environment, if you want, you can take a look at our Live Conversation Classes (384 Classes available per YEAR — 1 to 6 students per class) 🙂
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Qué tengas un maravilloso día!
Claudio
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Claudio
Professional Spanish Coach with 15+ years of experience.
"Do what you love and focus your energy on creating what you want in your life. Your energy goes where your thoughts go, and so does your life itself. You have to believe that you are worthy of what you want, you have to believe that you deserve what you want, and you have to act.
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